Electronic components, such as integrated circuits, are increasingly being used in different devices. One prevalent example of a device using integrated circuits is the computer. The central processing unit or units of most computers, including personal computers, is typically constructed from a plurality of integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are also used in other computer circuitry. For example, interface and memory circuits typically comprise several integrated circuits.
During normal operation, many electronic components, such as integrated circuits, generate significant amounts of heat. If this heat is not continuously removed, the electronic component may overheat, resulting in damage to the component and/or a reduction in its operating performance. For example, an electronic component may encounter thermal runaway, which may damage the electronic component. In order to avoid such problems caused by overheating, cooling devices are often used in conjunction with electronic components.
One such cooling device used in conjunction with electronic components is a heat sink. A heat sink is a device that draws heat from an electronic component and convects the heat to the surrounding atmosphere. The heat sink is usually placed on top of, and in physical contact with, the heat generating electronic component so as to provide thermal conductivity between the electronic component and the heat sink.
One method of increasing the cooling capacity of heat sinks is by including a plurality of cooling fins attached to the heat sink and a cooling fan that forces air past the cooling fins. The cooling fins serve to increase the surface area of the heat sink and, thus, increase the convection of heat from the heat sink to the surrounding atmosphere. The fan serves to force air past the fins, which further increases the convection of heat from the heat sink to the surrounding atmosphere. This increased convection, in turn, allows the heat sink to draw more heat from the electronic component. In this manner, the heat sink is able to draw a significant amount of heat away from the electronic component, which serves to further cool the electronic component.
Cooling fins with larger surface areas, however, tend to have significant barrier layers of air on the cooling fin surfaces when air is forced past the cooling fins. An air barrier layer is air that is adjacent the surface of a cooling fin and remains substantially stationary relative to the cooling fin as air is forced past the cooling fin. Thus, a significant barrier layer may result in the air being forced past cooling fins not being able to effectively remove heat from the cooling fins. Accordingly, increasing the area of individual cooling fins may not result in a proportional cooling capability of the heat sink.
Another problem associated with large cooling fins is that they occupy large spaces within an electronic device, which could otherwise be used to reduce the size of the electronic device. Large cooling fins also occupy space that could otherwise be used to increase the concentration of electronic components located within the electronic device. Electronic devices are becoming much smaller, thus, a reduced space or a higher concentration of electronic components within the electronic devices is beneficial. The use of large cooling fins tends to increase the size of the electronic devices or reduce the concentration of electronic components located therein.
Therefore, a device and/or method is needed to overcome some or all the aforementioned problems.